Triggering devices according to the above are used i.e. in motor vehicles for activating so-called air bags, i.e inflatable air cusions which protect the driver and passanger in the event of an accident. It is important that the condition of these triggering devices is continuously monitored so that they actually function if an accident should occur. One problem is that the resistance of various common triggering devices can vary between 1.80 and 2.50 .OMEGA.. For example, a normal tolerance zone in an application with two triggering devices connected in parallel can lie between 0.9 and 1.25 .OMEGA., outside of which range an error must be indicated.
Several test circuits for continuous monitoring of triggering devices are known. Because of the problem of the large tolerance zone of the resistance of the triggering device, use has been made of circuits in which voltage division takes place across the resistance and with detection of changes in resistance. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,426 describes test circuits which include a plurality of diodes, transistors and other electrical components. The complicated construction is due partly to the fact that the current must be limited so that the triggering devices will not be activated by the test current. This implies that the arrangement is relatively expensive to manufacture.